Lupus - A Chronic Autoimmune Disease

Bradley DiTeresi

Financial professional Bradley DiTeresi is a partner in Casas Hof Constructora e Inmobiliaria, a condominium project in Peru. Bradley DiTeresi is active in the Catholic Church and donates to several advocacy organizations, including the Lupus Foundation of America, which is dedicated to finding better treatments for the disease.

Normally the immune system produces antibodies that combat unhealthy germs, bacteria, and viruses. In lupus, that system goes after healthy tissue, causing pain and damaging internal organs, skin, and joints. Its severity ranges from mild to life-threatening, although with proper medical care most persons with lupus can maintain a good quality of life.

Lupus is not contagious, nor is it related to cancer. Even though it is a disorder of the immune system, it is not related to HIV/AIDS, which reduces immunity.

Lupus generally appears between ages 15 and 44. It focuses on women, although men are also susceptible. Though lupus strikes all ethnic groups and races, it is two to three times more likely in women of color than the population as a whole. It is estimated that around 1.5 million Americans live with lupus, out of 5 million worldwide. Some 16,000 new cases appear annually in the United States.